This invention relates generally to sheet and cover lifting devices and, more particularly, to a blanket lifting apparatus that raises an upstanding panel situated between a bed mattress and footboard with a motorized threaded rod so as to provide relief to the legs and feet of a person lying in the bed.
Although difficult to explain medically, many people experience significant discomfort in their legs, feet, and toes as a result of the weight of blankets and sheets on a bed. More particularly, a person lying in a bed may find it more desirable to leave their lower extremities uncovered to avoid this uncomfortable or even painful circumstance. Unfortunately, the equally uncomfortable condition of one's feet getting cold usually leads to leaving the blankets over the feet.
Various devices have been proposed in the art for raising the blankets of a bed. Although presumably effective for their intended purposes, the existing devices do not provide a combination of a primary upstanding panel and an auxiliary lift panel (i.e. a “flap”) that securely raises blankets lying on a bed via a remote control device along with heating and massage modules for the comfort of a person lying in the bed. Further, the existing devices do not provide a simple solution of a threaded rod and sleeve bearing for controlling vertical movement of the primary lifting panel or the safety feature of a collapsible casing that prevents injury in the instance that a user inadvertently falls and lands atop the vertical rod.
Therefore, it would be desirable to have a blanket lifting apparatus that overcomes the limitations of the prior art identified above.